Description
Fresh Homemade Bread will fill your kitchen with warmth and comfort, making your home smell amazing. Kneading dough becomes a delightful experience when you discover how simple creating delicious bread can be.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups warm water
Supporting Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
Additional Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Collect 4 cups all-purpose flour, 1½ cups warm water, 2 teaspoons active dry yeast, 1½ teaspoons salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar onto your kitchen workspace.
- Pour 1½ cups water at 110°F into a bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon sugar, then sprinkle 2 teaspoons yeast on top. Wait 5-10 minutes until foamy and activated.
- Mix 4 cups flour and 1½ teaspoons salt in a large mixing bowl, creating a small well in the center.
- Pour activated yeast mixture into flour well, stirring with a wooden spoon until rough, sticky dough forms.
- Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead vigorously for 8-10 minutes until surface becomes smooth and elastic.
- Shape kneaded dough into a perfect round ball and place inside a greased bowl, covering with a clean kitchen towel.
- Let dough rise in a warm spot for 1-1.5 hours, watching it double in volume.
- Gently deflate dough by pressing down, then shape into a rounded loaf on a baking sheet.
- Allow shaped loaf to rise again for 30-45 minutes, covered loosely.
- Heat oven precisely to 375°F and make 2-3 diagonal slashes across dough surface.
- Bake bread at 375°F for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and crusty.
- Remove bread from oven and cool completely on a wire rack for 20-25 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Warm water is crucial for activating yeast, so aim for about 110°F to ensure perfect rising without killing the yeast.
- Kneading develops gluten, which gives bread its structure, so take time to work the dough until it becomes smooth and stretchy.
- Let the bread cool completely before slicing to allow the crumb to set and prevent a gummy texture when cutting.
- Experiment with different flour types like whole wheat or rye to add unique flavors and nutritional variety to your homemade bread.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours
- Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
- Category: Breads
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 1.5 g
- Sodium: 140 mg
- Fat: 0.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg